DigiD and MijnOverheid: who gets power in foreign takeovers?
In the media image: Conny Schneider on Unsplash
Essential services risk being taken over by US Big Tech companies, affecting privacy and digital sovereignty in the Netherlands. Reijer Passchier, Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law and Professor of Digitalisation and the Democratic Rule of Law at OU, co-authored an opinion piece in ‘de Volkskrant’ newspaper.
The Dutch government uses digital infrastructure offered by the company Solvinity for services such as DigiD and MijnOverheid. This company is in danger of being taken over by an American tech giant. Experts warn that this could place control of important government data in the hands of foreign parties, giving American authorities access to the personal data of millions of Dutch people. This raises questions about privacy, digital security and the independence of the Dutch government in the digital domain.
In the opinion piece co-authored with Gijsbert Koren, founder of We Are Stewards and programme director at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Passchier advocates using European alternatives and more transparency in outsourcing and acquisitions, so that the government keeps a tight grip on its digital infrastructure. 'If we truly want digital autonomy, strategically important infrastructure must not be exploited purely for economic gain or made easily tradable.' Only companies with a social mission, which can guarantee continuity, are suitable for this. Think, for example, of steward-owned companies, where the company’s mission is leading and not the interests of shareholders. Any profit is used to strengthen that mission.
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Read the full article in de Volkskrant (in Dutch)